Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1989. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-103). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-129).

Thesis (M.A. in sociology)--Washington State University, May 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 27, 2009). "Department of Sociology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-70).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-129).

Thesis (M.A.), Psychology--University of Central Oklahoma, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-85).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-129).

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This study is an ethnography of Oka-Soiot human-animal relations in the Eastern Saian Mountains of westernmost Buriatia in South Central Siberia. It follows ten herder-hunter households from their winter residences to their summer camps, describing their year-round relations with dogs, reindeer, horses, and wolves. Although known in Russian literature as descendants of the people who first harnessed and saddled reindeer, contemporary Soiot herder hunters have shifted their skills to other species. Yet they continue to share with their Tozhu, Tofa, and Dukha neighbours a heritage of hunting, aided by transport reindeer. Historically, all four groups engaged other species alongside reindeer to varying degree. This diversity of animals is particularly magnified in Soiot households as a result of their proximity to Buriat settler pastoralists since the 18th century. In the early 20th century Buddhist ritual practice became widespread among these settlers, affecting also Soiot cosmology. Exploring Soiot relations with 'wild' and 'domestic' animals, this thesis positions domestication as 'ongoing perspectival expansion,' experienced at the intersection of shamanist and Buddhist approaches to sentient beings. The first part of the thesis focuses on how people and animals move between perspectives associated with forest and pasture, as a strategy for life in a shared landscape. It presents the Soiot household as a mirror image of the spirit-mastered household, while contrasting it to the Eurocentric model of the domus. It then shows how interspecies collaboration within the household can lead to perspectival expansion among its members, arguing that such a perspective furthers the recognition of affordances in the landscape. This is followed by a study of shamanist and Buddhist approaches to spirit masters, presenting parallel but non-identical views of the landscape. As the perspective of animals become As the perspective of animals becomes expanded in the human household, so householders' perspectives of the landscape are expanded in their encounter with the ritual domain of Buddhism. While Buddhist ritual practice attempts to domesticate spirit masters, it remains vital to Soiot hunters that the domestication of spirit masters remain incomplete, and that reciprocal relations with spirit households are maintained. Part two focuses on proximity between species, introducing dog-human and reindeer human collaborations. It examines the autonomy of dogs as hunters in their own right, and looks at evolving reindeer herd dynamics and species flux in Soiot households. Part three focuses on the material aspect of human-animal relations, focusing on implements and structures of the household as communicative devices rather than tools of domination. Horses and humans are seen to signal their intentions through roping techniques, while wolves and humans 'read each other' through trap design, den placement, and empathy. Being the first ethnography of Soiot human-animal relations, this thesis offers new knowledge to anthropology by filling a void in south Siberian ethnography, while calling renewed attention to a multi species perspective in Siberia. It contributes to classical debates on the human role in animal domestication, and challenges the division between hunting and pastoralist economies in its presentation of households that engage in both, and for whom the two remain inseparable.

There is a global increase in research on the benefits of animals and the value of incorporating them into interventional practices. This is referred to as animal-assisted interventions. Due to the novelty of this type of intervention and the accompanying complexity of variables, a need exists to explore the various aspects within these interventions. Looking specifically at animal-assisted interventions within the mental health field, this study focuses on the psycho-therapeutic value of companion animals, such as dogs and cats. The primary aim of this study was to identify the mechanisms through which an animal-assisted intervention exerts its influence. A secondary aim was to indentify salient methodological aspects within the included studies. A systematic review of existing literature was undertaken to explore these factors. Each study was appraised against specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and themes were extracted. The data was synthesised, integrated and discussed in relation to previously conducted studies in relevant fields. Six themes emerged from the systematic review. These included enhanced comfort, the living nature of animals, physical contact, adjunctive nature, an affinity for animals, as well as methodological considerations. Based on these emergent themes conclusions were drawn as to the psycho-therapeutic influences of companion animals. This may serve as informative knowledge regarding animal-assisted interventions for practitioners seeking additional methods to reach treatment goals. Information is also provided for researchers interested in the field, particularly methodological considerations, before embarking on a study of animal-assisted intervention efficacy.